Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system thermal management, and more particularly to an information handling system thermal control with adaptive non-rotational cooling devices.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data, storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems continue to shrink in size and increase in performance. Some information handling systems, such as smartphones, have small housings to provide desired end user functionality, such as for use as a handset. Smaller housings typically include a displayed input/output (I/O) device that allows an end user to interact with, the system, such as keyboard displayed on a touchscreen. Tablet information handling systems are similar to smartphone information handling systems but generally include a larger housing that integrates a larger touchscreen display. Tablet information handling systems, due to the housing size, generally do not include a microphone and speaker aligned for use as a headset; however, tablet information handling systems do sometimes include wireless wide area network (WWAN) communications that enable the same telephone and data functions as smartphones. That is, similar to other types of portable information handling systems, such as clamshell or convertible laptops, tablet information handling systems are sometimes configured with WWAN capability so that an end user can interface through a mobile telephone network with the Internet when shorter range wireless communications are not available, such as wireless local area, network (WLAN) hotspots. Often, tablet information handling systems have a slot available for a WWAN network interface card (NIC) that is generally unpopulated unless an end user selects a mobile telephone service provider at the time of purchase of the system.
One difficulty with tablet information handling systems is that the small footprint of the systems tends to make more difficult the dissipation of thermal energy generated by powering processing components. Typically, the amount of thermal energy output as a byproduct of running a central processing unit (CPU) increases with the processing capability of a CPU. Typically, the ability to dissipate thermal energy from a tablet housing decreases with decreased size of the housing. For example, a smaller housing generally has less mechanical structure for accepting thermal energy and less room for air to circulate within a housing. As a result, information handling system manufacturers generally limit CPU capability as housing size shrinks. In addition, tablet information handling systems typically include thermal control systems that monitor the temperatures within a housing and adjust system operations to maintain temperatures within desired constraints, such as operating limits for the CPU or skin temperatures that will not cause discomfort to end users. In some larger tablet information handling systems, a mechanical cooling fan blade rotates to move air through the housing for improved thermal transfer. Generally, however, smaller tablet information handling systems do not include a rotational fan or even vents that provide a passive airflow between the housing and the external environment. In systems that rely on passive cooling, excessive temperatures within the housing typically result in throttling of the CPU and other processing components so that less thermal energy is generated within the housing. Such throttling typically impacts system performance and provides a degraded user experience.